


like a restless wind (inside a letter box)

by Anisky



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Canon Compliant, Epistolary, F/M, Flirty Letters, Force Bond (Star Wars), Kylo is sort of her teacher, October Exchange Fic, Pen Pals, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Renperor, Threateningly flirty letters?, an offer she can't refuse, letter writing, only it's like Rey's taking a correspondence course
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-24 06:22:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16634642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anisky/pseuds/Anisky
Summary: Or: Kylo Ren is Very Lucky the Scavenger Who Never Attended School is LiterateKylo Ren attempts to bribe Rey into becoming his pen pal, and blackmail her into keeping it from the Resistance. He only fails at the second half. Rey would have thought the Supreme Leader of the First Order would have more important things to do, but his bait is just too good to turn down.A very late entry to the TWD October Exchange.





	like a restless wind (inside a letter box)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MnemeHoshiko (bittersnake)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bittersnake/gifts).



> This is a (late) October Exchange fic written for [MnemeHoshiko (bittersnake) ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bittersnake/pseuds/bittersnake).
> 
> The prompt: Epistolary fic, BONUS IF YOU MANAGE TO MAKE IT SMUTTY, DOUBLE BONUS if you managed to make it smutty AND in canonverse, can mention monsters/tales or something in the body of the fic since it's epistolary.
> 
> Well, it's in canonverse; I'll do my best to make it smutty if I can! But, uh, next chapter.
> 
> The title comes from "Across the Universe" by the Beatles.

Dear Rey, 

I imagine you’re curious as to how I delivered this letter. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen my handwriting, but I imagine you’ve looked down at the signature by now and are rather alarmed. Have I found you and your companions? Am I lurking in the shadows, simply waiting to strike? But if so, why send a letter, rather than simply attack? Perhaps I’m playing some sort of game of cat and mouse. Does that seem like my style? 

I imagine you’re probably hoping that one of your terrorist friends is playing some sort of practical joke on you. Have you told them, about our Force Bond? Do they know the truth of what happened on the Finalizer? Do they know that you were on board, that you came to me willingly? 

Do they know what we shared? 

Do they know that we fought side by side, not merely as allies but as true partners, a unit so connected to each other that we moved more like a single entity somehow inhabiting two separate bodies? 

Can you figure out how to send a letter back to me? 

But oh, you might be thinking to yourself: Even if I could figure out how to send a letter back, why would I? 

Well, my dearest Rey, for starters: You need to know whether or not I’ve found you. If I have somehow delivered this letter without knowing where you are, then if you can send a letter back to me, I will tell you my location, and a way to verify its truth without any risk of revealing your own location. 

If I do know where you are, if I have delivered this personally, then I will give you a hint as to what sort of game I may be playing-- and I swear, on the memory of my grandfather, that it will be a genuinely useful hint. 

In either case, if I hear back from you, then my next letter will contain detailed instructions on how to begin building yourself a new lightsaber. 

I think that these incentives will be tempting to you. However, I have a feeling that the most important reason you will try to send a letter back to me is to discover the method by which I’ve done so, in your adorable quest to demonstrate that your powers in the Force are not inferior to my own. 

I hope to hear from you soon, sweetheart. 

With Warm Regards,  
_Supreme Leader Kylo Ren_

 

\--

 

Resistance Base Internal Message  
From: Rey OfJakku  
To: General Leia Organa  
23/8/34.ABY  
16:27:22 

General,

We have a problem. Can I speak to you as soon as possible? It concerns Kylo Ren. 

\--Rey

\--

Resistance Base Internal Message  
From: General Leia Organa  
To: Rey OfJakku  
23/8/34.ABY  
16:29:04 

Rey, 

I’m in my office now, you can come by any time in the next half an hour. 

Sincerely,  
Leia

\--

 

From the Internal Files of BB-8:

Partial Transcription: Resistance Meeting Notes  
DATE: 23/8/34.ABY  
TIME: 18:01:22

18:01:41 Rey ofJakku: So, I received this letter from Kylo Ren earlier today. You can all take a minute to read it. 

18:01:57 Rose Tico: Is that handwritten? I didn’t even know people wrote by hand anymore. Wow, his handwriting is really fancy. 

18:02:13 General Leia Organa: He did a lot of calligraphy, growing up. But shh, Rose, let’s let everyone read.

18:02:24 Rose Tico: Sorry, General. 

_(Approximately 3 minutes and 24.59 seconds of silence recorded.)_

18:05:49 Captain Poe Dameron: Okay, what the hell? 

18:06:11 Rey ofJakku: So, this is disturbing for multiple reasons.

18:06:14 Finn Unknown: Uh, yeah, I’ll say. 

18:06:19 Captain Poe Dameron: And not just because everything about Kylo Ren is disturbing.

18:06:29 Rey ofJakku: Unfortunately, Poe, that’s the least of the reasons. Though there are some positives about this letter, which I’ll get to in a few minutes. 

18:06:42 General Leia Organa: The most alarming, I’d say, is exactly what he lays out in the first paragraph. Does he know where we are? Is he playing some kind of cat-and-mouse game with Rey? Both are worrisome propositions. 

18:07:03 Rey ofJakku: To say the least. Yes, that’s number one. Only slightly less disturbing-- at least from a personal perspective-- is the tone of the letter. As you can see, it’s… ah… 

18:07:17 Finn Unknown: Creepy?

18:07:17 Rose Tico: Congenial? 

18:07:18 Captain Poe Dameron: Is he trying to… romantically threaten you? 

18:07:24 Rey ofJakku: You all seem to grasp the issue. He seems to have romanticized our fight on the Supremacy… a lot. I have to admit, I do find that worrisome, on a personal level. On the other hand, he seems to assume that I view what happened similarly to the way he does, which has caused him to make a number of false assumptions about my behavior. Or maybe he’s wrong about what I’d do for a different reason-- I don’t think it matters either way. Honestly, I don’t know what he’s thinking, assuming that I wouldn’t tell anyone in the Resistance about our Force Bond when I don’t have any proof that Snoke’s death destroyed it. I’d have been putting all of you in danger without any of you having any idea or warning. 

18:09:02 General Leia Organa: I imagine he’s thinking that he wouldn’t tell anyone in your place. He does seem to be projecting his own thoughts and feelings onto you quite intensely. 

18:09:21 Finn Unknown: Besides, you _were_ worried that we’d abandon you, remember? 

18:09:39 Rey ofJakku: Well, if he could spy on all of you through me, that would be the smart move. You all know you’re the family I never truly had, but for that very reason I’d never keep you in the dark about something that could hurt or even kill you. 

18:09:57 Captain Poe Dameron: Yeah, uh, well, with all due respect Gen-- er, I mean, no offense to-- damn, I’m just going to say it. Even if he knew you thought of us as family, that’s not exactly how Kylo Ren acts regarding his family. Sorry, General. 

18:10:19 General Leia Organa: It’s alright, Poe. We can’t plan effectively if we refuse to discuss certain topics just because they’re… difficult for me. 

_(Approximately 14.64 seconds of silence recorded.)_

18:10:45 Rose Tico: Should we talk about why he chose to send you a handwritten letter instead of a more standard form of communication? If we knew that, it might help us figure out how he did it, and also what he’s up to. 

18:10:59 Rey ofJakku: I actually have a good guess about how he did it, though it doesn’t explain why it would be a letter like this. 

18:11:08 General Leia Organa: Trying to understand Ben’s motivations is probably a lost cause, at least until we get more information. Especially now that, after all this time, Snoke is no longer inside of his head, actively influencing him. He might have some deep or strategic reason, but it’s just as likely that he simply… wanted a chance to use his calligraphy set, or... thought a written letter was romantic. 

18:11:39 Rey ofJakku: _(Unintelligible.)_

18:11:46 Finn Unknown: Breathe, Rey. It’s okay. You can’t control what goes on inside that monster’s head. Uh, sorry General. 

18:11:58 General Leia Organa: In any case, the most logical explanation is that he wanted Rey to hear-- or in this case, read-- his entire message, instead of finding a way to shut down communication with him before he was finished. Besides, as a child he felt more comfortable expressing himself in writing than speaking. Those are good enough reasons that I don’t think we need to search for another unless we find a reason to think he has other motives. 

18:12:37 Rose Tico: Okay, General. 

18:12:41 Rey ofJakku: Um, anyway, about how I think he did it. Looking at the letter, unless Be-- Kylo Ren is playing some sort of deep game of deception where he’s only pretending he doesn’t know something, or whatnot, then he inadvertently gave a major clue about how he delivered the letter. 

18:12:52 Captain Poe Dameron: I don’t think he’s playing any sort of deep game. He’s not exactly a strategist. 

18:13:02 Rey ofJakku: Let’s hope you’re right. If you are, then I’m pretty sure that he delivered the letter through use of the Force in some way. ‘You will try to send a letter back to me… to demonstrate that your powers in the Force are not inferior[.]” So that suggests the way I’d write a letter to him, and the way that he got one to me, is via the Force. 

18:13:26 General Leia Organa: I’ll be the first to admit that my knowledge of the Force is quite a bit less than it might have been, had I chosen another path, but I’m fairly confident that sending a physical piece of paper and ink across any distance larger than a few thousand kilometers would take enough effort to kill you, or him. 

18:13:46 Rey ofJakku: That’s true, or would be under normal circumstances, which makes his method of delivery almost certain, actually. On the bright side, it’s a method that wouldn’t require him to know anything about where we are. The downside is that he almost certainly did it through our Force Bond, which of course means--

18:14:05 Captain Poe Dameron: Snoke’s death didn’t close it. It’s still active, at least to some extent. 

18:14:12 Rey ofJakku: Exactly. 

18:14:20 General Leia Organa: You can pass physical matter through this Force Bond?

18:14:26 Rey ofJakku: Honestly, I have no idea. But one of the first things he said when he saw me through the Bond was that I couldn’t be projecting myself to him, because the effort would kill me. 

18:14:56 Captain Poe Dameron: Are you alright, General? 

18:15:04 General Leia Organa: Yes, of course, Captain Dameron. I’m sorry, forgive an old woman her sentimentality. 

18:15:16 Finn Unknown: We’re still so sorry. 

18:15:16 Rey ofJakku: Of course, Leia. I’m sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have--

18:15:22 General Leia Organa: What did I just say about effective planning? I swear, you kids these days just don’t listen. 

18:15:34 Rey ofJakku: ...right. So, um, we know that some things are possible through the Force Bond that would take too much effort to achieve without it. Between that and his last paragraph--

18:15:47 Captain Poe Dameron: “I hope to hear from you soon, sweetheart”?

18:15:51 Rey ofJakku: Between that and his _second-to-last_ paragraph, I think by far the most likely scenario is at least a small amount of matter can be sent through the Force Bond, and that it’s still active. 

18:16:05 General Leia Organa: If you think that’s most likely, you’re the closest to an expert we have. 

18:16:11 Rey ofJakku: Oh, I’m really not an expert at all. 

18:16:16 General Leia Organa: I didn’t say you were an expert, I said you’re the closest we have. So let’s decide what should go in that return letter of yours--

18:16:26 Rey ofJakku: Wait, when did we decide that I’m actually sending--

18:16:28 General Leia Organa: --and then you can get to work trying to figure out if you can use the Force Bond to send it back without giving him any information about our whereabouts. 

18:16:39 Rey ofJakku: General, I’m not sure if I necessarily ought to--

18:16:43 General Leia Organa: I am. Any objections? No? Let the minutes read that there were no objections. 

_Official Note: There were no objections._

18:16:46 General Leia Organa: Alright, let’s figure out the content of your letter, Rey. First, the obvious: don’t let on that anyone in the Resistance has any idea about the Force Bond, the events that took place on the Supremacy, or that you received this letter. So. What _should_ go in it?

 

\--

 

Hello Kylo Ren,

This is a letter, written from me to you.

I await your location, verifiable without risk, as well as those instructions for lightsaber construction. 

\-- _Rey_

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this was so late; MnemeHoshiko knows why, and has been extremely understanding, so thank you so much for that!
> 
> If I forgot to tag anything I should have, please let me know! I feel like this chapter is pretty safe, but it's always possible I missed something. 
> 
> Still getting back into the swing of things, so constructive criticism is very welcome! 
> 
> Comments are the best, so please, leave a contribution in the little box! :)


End file.
